On Wednesday, Börje Salming with his family left Sweden for Toronto, Canada.
The Swedish legend is back in his old hometown to receive the love and support of the Canadian people.
A first picture of Börje, with his wife Pia and daughters Bianca and Terese, in Toronto, has now been published. In the photo, posted on Instagram, the 71-year-old is in a wheelchair, doing a thumbs up to the camera.
Börje Salming is in Toronto for the Hall of Fame weekend, and the plan is for Börje to be honoured by the Maple Leafs and its fans on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Salming will be honoured with other Hall of Fame members, and on Saturday, on his own, per Chris Johnston.
Per Chris Johnston, this is pending on his health.
Börje Salming was with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 16 seasons and played over 1 000 games in the NHL. He’s still known as ”The King” in Toronto.
This summer, Salming was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and last month, his family shared details of his struggles. Salming has, since getting his diagnosis, lost his ability to speak and eat.
The diagnosis also trigged depression.
“He was so depressed that he couldn’t talk to me either,” his wife Pia told Expressen. “We have always been super tight, me and Börje, and always talked a lot to each other.”
Börje Salming has already been in Canada this year to meet with an ALS doctor, who prescribed a medication that could help slow down the progression of the disease. Unfortunately, the medication was stopped by Swedish Customs, but now, the plan is for Börje to bring the medicine with him, which is allowed.
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